Joy Ride
by Alex Warlorn
Summary: After the Royal Cup, Vega begins to serious question his worth as a pilot.


note: I missed "Enter the Dragon", so I'm doing what I can about Vega's character. Tell me what I get wrong. 

I look at you. And I wonder. I see you sleeping like this. And I feel empty. For those of you who don't remember my name. It's Vega Obcura. I'm the Backdraft   
Syndicate's top pilot. Or least I was when there [i] was [/i] a Backdraft Syndicate. After the total disaster of operation Battle Line, they, we, lost everything. Every last Dark   
Judge Satellite was shot down. The Zoid Battle Commission had had it's fill of us. Every last one of bases and units were tracked down, captured, or destroyed. Professor Leon, my   
care taker Sara, everyone, in prison for a list of charges longer than I am. Oh, you're wonder what happened to me? Now that's sorte interesting . . . you see, I [i] was [/i] an   
official contender in the Royal Cup Tornament, and technically I had never attacked any ZBC forces. So I was kinda let off. Plus, I was under age.   
Who would of guessed that would of actually been a blessing for once. I've always had a hunger for the trill of a fight. The rush of conflict. I guess that's what makes Him   
and such great partners, or that's what I used to think. Whose He? I'll get to that in a second. Anyway . . . you can imagine no one would let a twelve-year-old kid pilot a Zoid. Or   
at the time, eleven year old. 'Come back when you're older.' That what I was always told.   
Backdraft were the only ones who ever let me fight. Let me show the world once and for all what I could do no matter who I was. Can you believe they added child   
exploitation the charges against Sara? They actually wanted me to testify against her. Thankfully the Bill of Right extends even to Zebus.   
Bezerk Fury. You know, for the short time we fought together, I considered you a partner, even a ally. We both hungered for battle. We both wanted to prove that we were   
the best. And we did . . . almost. We cut through the opponents at the Royal Cup as if they were stocks of wheat. Then there was Bit Cloud and HIS partner, Ligar Zero. I don't   
regret you deciding to fight them instead of going to the finish line. To be honesty, I wanted one more fight with only other Zoid at the tournament equipped with an orginiod   
system. A learning computer. Mass produced Zooids are just mindless robots. However, ones like you and the Ligar, you're capable of so much more. Leon managed to create a   
crude version of the organoid system with his Shadow Fox. Of course we both know how long that Neanderthal Zoid lasted again us . . . Or was it you?   
I see you sleeping like this. And I wonder. Do you actually need me? I watched the recording of the final battle. During the time I was knocked out, you were reacting faster   
than lighting. Was I just holding you back all that time? I told you, you would be stronger when you woke up. If what Toros and Leon believe about the Ultimate X's to be true,   
that beating them only makes them stronger, I have no doubt you will be stronger when you awaken.   
I actually shared this with Bit a while back.-Now that Backdraft is no more his Blitz team doesn't really see me as the enemy as much.- He didn't look so good after I told   
him. I was watching one of his S class battles yesterday, he wasn't piloting Ligar Zero, he was piloting a Shield Ligar. I recognized his style, well, half of it. It was clear he wasn't   
giving it his all. Thankfully for him the rest of his group was able to pick up the slack. I think I struck a cord in him. To tell the truth, the revelations did in me too.   
Here before me is the most powerful Zoid on the planet. And instead of feeling the lust for a fight like I did before, now I feel empty. I managed to puppy eye some dealers   
into letting me do a test drive on a number of Zooids but . . . they don't feel the same. But still, Bezerk Fury, are you just using me? Your savage and unrelenting attitude towards   
battle was what brought us together. Even at the beach that day I could feel you. I was drawn to you. And you didn't try to kill me the moment I sat in the cockpit. I considered that a very good sign.   
Now looking back at it. Is a little kid just easier to control? Easier to manipulate? Easier to use? Am I just your instrument in finding battles? I can tell how much you love to fight. It's hard wired into your programming. I want to wake you up at long last and ask you. But I'm afraid of the answer. Because I'm afraid of the truth. I can't think of any   
other reason for what happened that fateful day at the Royal Cup other than I was just a kid playing space man in one of those rocket rides. I have skill I know I do! If bit couldn't   
pilot Ligar Zero after what I told him, can I really pilot you now? I'm sorry Bezerk Fury. I need time to think. But I don't know who to talk to. And for the first time in my life. I   
wish I had a friend.   


Flames, comments, suggestions, reactions, corrections, occasional constructive critizem all welcome. As long as they have something to do with the story. I want to revise this piece   
if I get enough feed back.   
Please e-mail me at matt@lenzarts.com if you didn't like a review I made of a story instead of abusing the review system to spam me.   
  
  



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